Ishihara’s clutch single lifts Carp past Dragons

NAGOYA – Substitute catcher Yoshiyuki Ishihara delivered a tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth inning and added insurance in the eighth as the Hiroshima Carp downed the Chunichi Dragons 6-4 on Sunday afternoon in Nagoya.

The Carp won their third in a row and returned to 10 games above .500. Chunichi lost six straight for the first time in three years.

With the scored tied 4-all, Ishihara, who entered the game as a pinch runner for Tsubasa Aizawa earlier in the third, hit a one-out, bases-loaded single up the middle. He added an RBI single in the eighth to cushion the lead at Nagoya Dome.

Takaya Toda (3-1), who took the mound and recorded one out after Bryan Bullington, called up the same day, gave up a game-tying, three-run homer to Hector Luna in the fifth, won in relief. Kam Mickolio picked up his 21st save.

BayStars 5, Giants 3

At Yokohama Stadium, pinch hitter Taketoshi Goto hit a ball that deflected off third base for a game-tying double in the seventh inning and pinch hitter Keijiro Matsumoto followed with a two-run single as Yokohama downed CL leader Yomiuri for the second day in a row. Shoichi Ino (11-7) allowed three runs in seven innings of the win.

Swallows 4, Tigers 2

At Koshien Stadium, Yasushi Iihara had a two-run single in a 2-for-4 outing and Yasuhiro Ogawa (7-5) limited the damage to one run over eight innings as Tokyo Yakult sent third-place Hanshin to the second straight defeat. Tony Barnett allowed one run in the ninth but escaped for his 11th save.

PACIFIC LEAGUE

Marines 2, Fighters 1

At Tokyo Dome, Alfredo Despaigne and Toshiaki Imae hit a pair of solo homers off rookie Naoyuki Uwasawa (7-7) in support of Yoshihisa Naruse (8-8), who threw seven scoreless innings as Chiba Lotte held off Hokkaido Nippon Ham to snap a five-game losing skid.

Lions 6, Buffaloes 5

At Seibu Dome, Takayuki Kishi (10-4) won despite allowing five runs — four earned — in 6⅔ innings and Takeya Nakamura had his PL-leading 28th homer, a two-run blast off rookie Kazumasa Yoshida (5-4) in the first, as Seibu staved off Orix. Wily Mo Pena matched Nakamura with his 28th homer leading off the fourth.

Eagles 4, Hawks 3 (12)

At Kobo Stadium Miyagi, Kazuo Matsui had a leadoff homer in the first inning and delivered the game-winner with a clutch two-out single in the 12th inning as Tohoku Rakuten beat PL leader Fukuoka Softbank. Rhiner Cruz (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning to pick up his first win in Japan.